Fallen Angels
by TripleMelody
Summary: They are both pure, brave, selfless, and have endured countless hardships in their short lifetimes. During the first duel of Battle City, Serenity and Bakura meet for the first time. This is a brief story about true love and the journey to achieve it.


This story takes place at the end of Yami Yugi and Yami Bakura's duel in the Battle City Finals (Episode 84, Season 2). Hope you all like it. The pairing here is my all-time favourite.

Disclaimer: I don't, won't, never will and don't plan on owning Yu-Gi-Oh!, but if I did, there'd be a lot more romance and a lot more Bakura, that's for sure. :)

Serenity, along with Joey and the others, watched from the sidelines, as the first duel of Battle City was fought. The duelists were both highly experienced and skilled and it looked like it could be either one's victory. Yami had just summoned his best hope: the Egyptian God, Slifer the Sky Dragon. On the other side of the field, the spirit of the Millennium Ring (who possessed Bakura's body) didn't look like he was going to backing down anytime soon. The tension was thick in the air and Serenity was amazed by their strategy and talent. All of a sudden, the mysterious man in the cloak, who called himself Marik, spoke up, just as Yami was about to attack. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he spoke plainly, and with a voice devoid of emotion, but the threat was evident. Yami raised his eyebrows in question. Marik continued: "You see, with my Millennium Rod, I have taken control of your opponent, Bakura. And now I shall make the spirit of the Ring relinquish his control over your friend. Observe." They all spun around, just in time to see a softer version of Yami's opponent sink to his knees, clutching his arm. "What's going on? Where am I? Why does my arm hurt so much? Yugi, please, help me!" Bakura spoke softly, in a voice full of confusion, pain, fatigue and fear.

Yami started to dash towards his friend, when he was stopped by the referee, who told him it was against the rules to make contact with your opponent. Marik added that if he was to attack now, he would cause Bakura even more damage. Serenity bit her lip and looked on anxiously while the others called out to Bakura. Joey attempted to climb up onto the dueling arena, while threatening the referee to let them help Bakura, and was then pulled down by Tristan and Duke. Serenity knew that Yami and Yugi had a major dilemma on their hands right now, and limited options. They could either attack their injured friend, Bakura, to win and move onto the next round or surrender the duel to the spirit of the Millennium Ring, and put the world in danger . . .

Serenity realized then that she could help solve the problem. She leapt over the boundary and ran to stand in front of Bakura. Everyone looked shocked. "Go ahead and win the duel," Serenity said to Yami Yugi, who looked completely startled. "I'll take the force of Slifer's attack and protect Bakura from it." The referee was about to say something when she reminded him that she wasn't a duelist in this tournament and therefore he couldn't disqualify her. Serenity noticed how worried Joey looked and reminded him that this was the quickest way to get Bakura the help and medical attention he needed. Joey was about to tell her that she might be hurt in the process and she interrupted him, saying that she was strong enough. She managed to cope with all the pain of the last few years, and Joey and the others have shown her true courage and helped her. Now it's her turn to repay the favour. Besides, Bakura is their friend, and she knows that Joey would do the same thing as her, in fact he would have, if Tristan and Duke weren't restraining him right now.

Serenity turned around, a determined look on her face. "Go ahead, I'll be fine," she told Yami, who still looks uncertain. She looked him dead in the eye, saying: "If you were on the opposite side of the field, wouldn't you want the other person to trust you enough and not underestimate your strength? I am fully aware of what could happen, and I've made the decision. Now it's your turn. Together, we can end this, and get Bakura out of this mess!" With that, a fierce look of determination entered her face, and Yami nodded. "Let's do this, Serenity!" he said and then raised his hand and ordered the final attack of the duel.

As Slifer raised its head to deliver the winning blow, Serenity looked over her shoulder and saw Bakura look up in confusion and panic. "Don't worry, Bakura. I won't let you get hurt. I promise." In that split second, right before the attack hit Serenity, the two strangers shared a moment that linked them together, forever, though neither of them were aware of that. Then, Serenity turned around, just in time to see the powerful light envelop her vision and her body. The force of the attack was so great that she almost got thrown backwards. If she hadn't been protecting Bakura, who was directly behind her, she wouldn't have had the strength to remain upright. Just when it seemed like the light might overpower her will, it stopped and she collapsed. However, instead of the hard floor of the dueling arena, like she had expected, she came into contact with a pair of arms. Startled, she looked up to see concerned, warm brown orbs staring into her own olive green eyes. He smiled weakly at her and then whispered, "Thank you, Serenity. And I'm sorry." She blinked, unsure of what he was apologizing for, and then his knees collapsed and they both fell down, slipping into unconsciousness.

-------------

When I woke up, I noticed two things right away: one: that my Millennium Ring was back around my neck (I had felt it fly off when Slifer attacked), and two: Serenity was in the bed next to mine. She looked so peaceful sleeping and . . . beautiful. The word entered my thoughts and surprised me, as I don't usually notice girls, since I'm always on the run, or trying to protect them from my Yami. This had happened before, at Duelist Kingdom, when Yugi, Téa, Tristan and I had been looking for Joey and found his wallet on the ground. When we'd opened it up, my eyes were immediately drawn to the picture of the heart-shaped face of a girl with long, brown hair. My first coherent thought was how beautiful she was, how sweet and innocent she looked, followed by a longing to meet her, to hear her voice. My thoughts returned to the present, and I realized that I had finally gotten my wish. But then, with a sinking feeling, I realized that, until my Yami was out of the picture, I could never be with her. It felt like my heart might break at the possibility of never getting to talk to her properly, to be her friend . . . or maybe more, if she could ever want that.

I did what I had to. I got out of that room, as far away from that beautiful angel as I could. I heard, over the announcements, that we would be landing - temporarily - for a quick break, and then the tournament would continue. I took this opportunity to hide in a closet next to the exit. When we landed and the doors opened, I was the first one out, and I took off, sprinting as far away from the plane as I could, and away from Serenity.

--------------

When I awoke, I realized that I was lying on a bed and that someone was there with me. I recognized the boy immediately as Bakura. As I studied him, he turned over, facing me, his snowy white hair falling softly across his face. He was . . . well, if you could call a guy that, beautiful. In a masculine way, of course. He looked so content, relaxed, but, despite that, I felt an overwhelming, compelling need to protect him, to make sure that no one ever hurt him again. My heart hurt so much, just at the memory of how he'd looked back in the arena. It was in that moment, when he appeared, that I felt an irresistible pull towards him. I had never felt this way about any guy before. Sure, maybe I had had a few crushes in the past, but that was all they were: infatuations, meaningless admiration for a few guys; none of them could ever compare to Bakura. I wanted to be his friend, and, if he ever felt the same way, maybe more. I smiled at that thought, and contented myself with simply staring at his slumbering face, the last thing that I saw before I drifted off to sleep, too.

When I awoke again, it was because of the announcement that the plane would be landing in a few minutes. I rolled onto my side, hoping that maybe Bakura had woken up, too. However, much to my disappointment, his bed was empty, except for one piece of paper. Curious, I slowly got up and went and sat on Bakura's bed, picking up the paper. My eyes widened and it felt like my heart splintered as I read the following words:

_"Serenity, I can never thank you enough for helping me back there in the arena. I'm so sorry for the pain you had to experience. I hope to one day be able to fully repay you for your kindness and sacrifice. I wish that I could have told you all this in person, but I couldn't bring myself to put you in any more danger. I hope you can forgive me and that we will meet again. _

_Until then, Bakura."_

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A Few Years Later . . .

"_Hello?_"

"Serenity, it's me, Joey."

"_Joey! Are you okay? How about the others?_"

"I'm fine, sis. Everyone's safe now. We did it."

"_You mean . . . it's over?_"

"Uh huh. We're coming home now. Our plane should arrive in Domino tomorrow night around midnight."

Serenity frowned. She detected a strained tone in her brother's voice, it sounded like he was in pain, but trying to conceal it. "_Joey, what's wrong? Did something happen?_" There was silence on the other end, and then: "He's gone, Serenity. The Pharaoh, I mean." Her eyes widened in disbelief. She'd known that things were going to change when Joey and the others boarded the plane to Egypt, but she hadn't realized the extent of it. She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. "_How's Yugi_?" she asked softly. "He's doing okay. I mean, he was pretty shook up last night, after it was all over, but he handled it really well." Serenity's eyes filled with tears of sorrow and sympathy for Yugi and the others' loss. "_I'm so sorry, Joey_," she said, wishing that she could say something more comforting, more fitting; something better. But, at the time, this seemed to be the only thing she could think to say. And for now, those few words would have to suffice.

----------

Bakura's Thoughts

---------

He's gone.

He's really, truly gone.

He's not coming back.

He's gone for good.

He could not accept this truth.

This miracle,

the one good thing that had happened to him

in the last few years of agony

that had been his life.

Up until now, that is.

Now he was . . .

free.

He flinched,

expecting to hear an enraged voice,

followed by pain,

for uttering that word.

But there was nothing.

He allowed himself to,

cautiously,

lift the corners of his mouth in a smile,

in the cheerful expression

that had once been his demeanor.

It felt good,

but unnatural,

to let go

of that constant restraint,

the constant emotional and physical burden,

that he had silently carried for

so, so long.

Was he free?

At the moment,

he didn't care.

For the time being,

he just wanted to,

simply,

live.

----------

Bakura lingered behind, walking slowly, as the others rushed to get their luggage and greet those waiting to welcome them back home. He was too enveloped in his own thoughts to notice the girl sprinting towards him - until he nearly slammed into the wall from the unexpected force. His arms automatically tightened and he steadied himself, only for his heart to stop when he looked down and met the gaze of his beloved angel. "Serenity?" he voiced the beautiful name, looking down in disbelief at an older version of the girl he had fallen in love with so many years ago. She answered his question with a dazzling, sweet and joyful smile that made his heart beat again and start racing.

It was very quiet and then they both burst out laughing. A shared moment of exhilaration, relief, and pure contentment. This was where they were meant to be, they were with who they were destined to be with - together, forever. They had a bright future ahead of them, free of danger and full of endless possibilities. They had the time to get to know each other, to form a friendship, which would later morph into a beautiful relationship, though neither of them knew it at the time.

Nothing could separate them now.

---------

A/N: I hope you liked it! I've been working on this for a really long time, and I hope this version of the story turned out okay and me obsessing over it for months has paid off. I adore this pairing; in my mind, they are the sweetest characters on the show (with the exception of Yugi) and they belong together.

I know that, in the anime, Serenity was not fully aware of what was going on with Bakura Ryou and the spirit of the Millennium Ring, as well as the Pharaoh and Yugi. However, I thought that Serenity should have been trusted enough to be told these kind of things, so that's why she knew what was happening at various times in the story. Also, when I'm referring to "Marik" in the first few paragraphs, the person is actually Odion (who was disguised as Marik). Hope this clears any problems up!

If you could, please leave a review and tell me what you thought about it! I really appreciate getting feedback, and any constructive criticism is welcome as well!

Thanks for taking the time to read my story! Hope you're all having a great summer! ~Melody


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